I watched the evening news one day last week and was saddened to see a story on vaccines that reported parents were not being responsible if they chose not to vaccinate their children. The report was explaining that there is a rise in childhood illnesses like measles because of the parents who are making the choice not to vaccinate.

There are thousands of reports supporting each side of the vaccine debate with Government bodies and Medical establishments providing the research to support vaccinations and other medical professionals and human interest groups like Think Twice Global Vaccine Institute providing research on the dangers involved with vaccinations.

I personally believe this is part of a much larger issue facing health and wellbeing in our world. The environmental toxins present in today’s lifestyle are taxing our immune systems so that we have less ability to deal with normal childhood illnesses. Right up there with the environmental toxic overload is the typical sugar laden, processed and genetically modified food diets that we live on and provide to our children. I cannot forget to add in the bombardment of electro-magnetic frequencies from all the wireless technology that permeates our society. After this we can add the stress levels experienced by families working to just keep up with the responsibilities that they carry which depletes them of their “Joy”. It is a challenging picture indeed.

Why do we have so many more food and environmental sensitivities today than in previous generations? I believe this to be caused because of the over-burdened immune system. Our bodies have too much to deal with so they are speaking out through symptoms and sensitivities.

Some parents will say it is irresponsible to send children to public school if they have not been vaccinated because their own children are at risk. I have a good friend who teaches in the public school system and she reports having children sent to school so sick they can not even talk without coughing and their nose is running faster than they can provide tissue for, yet the parents have no backup and need to be at work to pay bills so the children are sent to school anyway. This second scenario can also have negative health implications for other students and teachers not to mention the child involved. It can be complicated.

The bottom line for us in Canada is that we have choice. The Ministry of Health website has a link for form #4897-64E – Statement of Conscious or Religious Belief that can be completed should you not believe that vaccines are a wise health choice for your family. This is a Human Rights issue.

For me, it’s the complete picture. To support a healthy immune system, we need to pay attention to how we are treating our bodies and what we are exposing them to. I have written this in many ways over the years however it starts with the basics.

Good Food – Adequate Rest – Exercise – Managing Stress

Add a dash of Gratitude.

This will provide you with a much stronger body that is able to deal with the challenges that life brings. So do your own research and make your own decisions knowing that whichever way you choose – all decisions carry consequences.

Here are some interesting websites to provide you with more information:

The question always seems to boil down to…
If parents of vaccinated children truly believe that injecting their children with a vaccine will keep them healthy, then what are they worried about and why is this an issue at all? If there is an outbreak, then according to their logic, their children are safe.

Thanks Jeannie – I know that anything to do with our children hits a core emotional bond and our fears can arise quickly. I know parents only want what is best for their children however it is important to do our own research. Feel free to post links to any other good research sites. Onwards…
Karen

Vaccines are such an emotionally charged issue. Their science is complex, and there is a history of misleading ‘bad science’ that, although now dis-proven, remains floating around the internet, often used to prop up anti-vaccine claims and confuse anyone trying to make an informed health decision.

I didn’t actually find anything in your article that gave a concrete reason why not to be vaccinated. The links you provide, and research you mention, amount to fear mongering. Scary stories of adverse reactions to vaccines (though stories of children with the disease would be much more tragic). Studies that look impressive but if you peel back the medical jargon, are 40-years old, describe a minor rash, or are listed simply because they use scary (though harmless) sounding words like MERCURY, and DUCK EMBRYO! There are also studies, the ones that pointed to autism or mercury poisoning, that have been shown to be FRAUDULENT, FAKED, bad science, and yet are still listed as evidence. I don’t doubt that there are some medical interventions that do more harm than good – but for vaccines the evidence just isn’t there to say that they are worse than the diseases they prevent or eradicate, or even that they are dangerous at all.

I think you are right that taking a holistic approach to wellness – looking after our nutrition, fitness, mental health … – all of it is part of being a truly healthy person. But it’s irresponsible to suggest that being healthy is enough to provide immunity from dangerous and deadly diseases. You are certainly able to boost your immune system to prevent getting a seasonal cold, but you have no chance of preventing measles. Polio was eradicated because parents had their children vaccinated, not because parents fed their children kale, took them to gymnastics and taught them gratitude.
I think your advice is great for guidance on general healthy living, but is dangerous when used to encourage people to distrust life saving, proven, SAFE medicine.

Thank you for this article Karen – I really enjoyed reading your article – there are so many articles out there today discussing this heated subject and I appreciate your discussion on the other environmental toxins that could impact one’s immune system.

I couldn’t agree with you more that parent’s are trying to do what they feel is best for their own children and so all of the discussions going on surrounding vaccinations are coming from a place of concern for their children. I think it’s so important to educate yourself on any of these medical management decisions – particularly if someone has decided to go against the grain. In order to make a truly and fully informed decision, it’s important to educate yourself about both sides of this debate – by using your critical thinking skills to sort through the plethora of information on the internet and by also talking to various healthcare providers.

What I often see many articles on the internet discussing is what question you felt this all boiled down to Jeannie – and the response to this question I often see is the response you have posted. I just wanted to clarify and help answer that question since there seems to be some confusion surrounding the actual point of how vaccines work.

The reason that someone who has chosen to vaccinate themselves or their children would be concerned about other individuals who have made the decision to not vaccinate themselves or their children is because of the simple fact that even if you are vaccinated, you may still be susceptible to the disease you have been vaccinated for. Vaccines are not 100% effective at protecting an individual from a disease and immunity can wane. And vaccines are also not great at protecting an individual from a disease if only a smattering of individuals within a population are vaccinated. The effectiveness of vaccines protecting someone from a disease is dependent on something called herd immunity. Herd immunity means that within a population, if roughly 85-90% of individuals within this population are vaccinated, then typically, the disease you have been vaccinated for should lie dormant. If you lose herd immunity (by seeing a decrease in individuals being vaccinated), then this disease may resurface. So what this means is that if a child is not vaccinated but the majority of the population is vaccinated, then this child may not contract the disease because they are being protected by this herd immunity. But once you see a decline in vaccination rates, diseases may resurface and any individual within a population – vaccinated or not – is susceptible to this disease.

I hope that answers the question as to why someone would be concerned that their vaccinated child could contract a disease they have been vaccinated for if there is a decline in vaccination rates.

The other important point to keep in mind that I often see glossed over in many articles is that vaccinations are not 100% safe – there are risks associated with vaccinations. But the reason they have been implemented is because of the belief that they are safer than the alternative – and that alternative being not vaccinated. As with many things in life, it is a balance between risks and proponents of vaccinations believe the risks associated with vaccinations is a safer alternative to the risks associated with being unvaccinated.